King Molasses Brings D.C. Drag to Sasha Velour’s NightGowns
Revry’s "King of Drag" champion King Molasses heads to New York for NightGowns’ landmark 10th-anniversary celebration.
King Molasses is brimming with a confidence that feels well-earned. Recently crowned the winner on season one of Revry’s reality competition series King of Drag, the performer was also just voted D.C. Drag Awards’ Drag King of the Year, their fourth time taking the honor.
“I’ve been doing drag in D.C. since late 2018, believe it or not,” says Mo, as the performer likes to be called. “And I’ve been working pretty hard — and working for a while — in the scene.” Still, they say they’ve been blown away by the reception they and their fellow King of Drag contestants have experienced since the show, the first to feature solely drag kings, wrapped in July.
“Myself and the rest of the cast, we knew we did something special, but we weren’t totally sure how this would ultimately ripple throughout the drag world and throughout our respective queer communities,” they say.
The support of their community of “incredible drag performers” in the District has been especially moving. “It means a lot that my peers, my colleagues, and regulars at my shows were invested,” says Mo, who hosts the queer rock party Banshees at JR.’s Bar & Grill. “It humbled me. It gave me a lot of push as the show was premiering to continue to root myself in what this work is about, which is ultimately connection.”
The Prince George’s County native initially made that connection to the art form after just one taste. “The first time that I saw drag kings perform was in D.C. It was an all drag king show. And it changed my life,” they recall. “I was like, ‘Okay, see, I feel the tingles.’ When you see something that’s like, ‘Whoa, I feel embodied.'”
Mo didn’t come to drag with a formal education in performance or dance, but from a visual arts and media background. “It really was when I saw specifically kings as a young, queer professional, when I moved to D.C.,” they say, that inspired them to get onstage.
“I would go to drag shows often. It was just a way that I could go to the bar. I wasn’t super social, and I was a bit awkward. So I would go, get a drink, watch a show…. I did not see this for myself.”
Yet, soon King Molasses was born, rocking crowds at clubs and bars alongside drag king pioneers like Blaq Dinamyte (“who’s still performing, and has been performing for the last 15 years”) and Magic Dyke (“who is now in Kenya and is arguably one of the most visible drag kings worldwide”).
Mo acknowledges that the legacy of cross-dressing male impersonation goes back even further. “So to be now, in a sense, being pushed by the decades and the years and the generations of performers in D.C., it means a lot. And I fully intend on continuing to be like a big old ‘mo out here when it comes to doing drag and representing what D.C. is all about in terms of the performing arts scene.”
This August, King Molasses will rep D.C. in a big way at drag superstar Sasha Velour’s NightGowns 10th Anniversary Celebration. The grand seven-show residency for Velour’s beloved drag variety show will feature rotating lineups of iconic performers like Sasha Colby and Kevin Aviance.
“We’re performing in a very historic venue in New York,” Mo says. “The La MaMa Theater in the Lower East Side, which is known for experimental theater. So I plan to do some really interesting, quirky stuff. I think if there’s any show that you’re gonna pull the trigger on, especially with Sasha Colby — because as good as I am, I’m flanked with the best, and Kevin Aviance is one degree away from Beyoncé.”
NightGowns 10th Anniversary Celebration runs Aug. 27 to Sept. 1, at New York City’s La MaMa, 66 E. 4th St. King Molasses performs Aug 29, at 6 and 9:30 p.m. and Aug 30 at 9 p.m. Tickets are $20 to $100. Visit www.sashavelour.com.
The complete first season of King of Drag is now available exclusively on www.Revry.com.
Visit www.kingmolasses.com.
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